REVIEW: ‘X-Men ’97’ is Not Your Average Saturday Morning Cartoon
The X-Men are back in a brand-new animated series, X-Men ’97. Based on the hit 1990s animated series, X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ‘97 is not a sequel or a spin-off, but a continuation of the original series. It picks up almost immediately after the series finale of X-Men with our original team members, Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, and Jean Grey, adjusting to a world without Charles Xavier. Joining them in this new adjustment is shapeshifter Morph and time-traveler Bishop, who were featured in the original series, but were not a part of the main team.
Having had the privilege of watching the first three episodes of the season, the writers in these episodes do not disappoint. They manage to intertwine multiple comic book storylines in a believable, and engaging way. Each episode introduces another layer to the season’s overall storyline while also introducing mini storylines from some of the characters. Comic book fans will not all agree on the direction the writers chose for some of the characters nor will they agree on the characters the writers chose to put their focus on. But, hang tight, the choices make more sense as they episodes progress.
For non-comic book fans, you will be able to just enjoy the ride. That is what makes this series so good. You don’t have to be a comic fan to understand the show. Though, I do recommend checking out the X-Men: The Animated Series prior to watching X-Men ’97 so you will better understand the mutants and humans featured in the new series.
The other thing to note about X-Men ’97 is it is more mature than its predecessor. The dialogue has a more mature feel to it as well as the romantic storylines featured throughout. The animation also had a more mature feel to it. As someone who loved the original series, it was a bit of a shock when I watched the first episode, but that quickly went away when I saw how much this new animation added to the characters. The animators went above and beyond adding more detail and depth to each of our favorite characters providing another fun layer to these already great characters.
As the final credits were rolling on the third episode, I was chomping at the bit for the next one. It’s a shame Marvel animation opted to release this series on a weekly basis rather than drop all 10-episodes at one time. However, there is enough development in each episode to keep you coming back for more. My only hope is that the writers keep to the comic books and steer far away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the previous X-Men movies. What made the original series so great is each episode introduced a member of the X-Team and paid homage to their comic book storylines. They had no movies to base their stories on, so here’s hoping this series does just that.
Grade: A